“BlackSea brings exceptional and strategically aligned maritime capability, but just as importantly, it brings a culture of mission focus and ingenuity that reflect the very roots of AEVEX,” said Brian Raduenz, founder and executive chairman of AEVEX.
Terms of the transaction: $250 million cash, $350 million in stock, plus earnout
The announced deal values BlackSea Technologies at up to $650 million. AEVEX will pay $250 million in cash and issue approximately $350 million in shares of its Class A common stock as part of the purchase price. In addition, BlackSea could secure up to $50 million in performance‑based earnout consideration, a contingent element that ties a portion of the aggregate price to future outcomes.
The companies said the acquisition is slated to close in September. The announcement framed the financial package and timing as part of a transaction designed to bring the two companies’ technologies and market access together.
BlackSea’s GARC: a 16‑foot autonomous craft in Navy experimentation
BlackSea builds the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC), described in the announcement as a 16‑foot, small unmanned autonomous vessel. The Navy is experimenting with the GARC out of Naval Base Coronado, and the announcement notes that the Navy’s Unmanned Surface Vessel Squadron 3—which the service launched in 2024—operates the system.
Those program details anchor BlackSea’s recent operational footprint in maritime unmanned systems and place the GARC in an active Navy experimentation context, according to the companies’ statements.
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See what we buildAEVEX’s autonomous portfolio and the Mako unmanned surface vessel
AEVEX, based in Solana Beach, Calif., builds a series of autonomous systems. The company cited an unmanned surface vessel called Mako among its offerings; the Mako is described as a platform designed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions as well as for kinetic operations.
The two companies said the deal will integrate “complementary technology across air, surface, and undersea platforms,” indicating an intent to combine BlackSea’s maritime craft with AEVEX’s broader autonomy lineup.
Customer access: Navy, US Special Operations Command, and allied partners
The announcement framed one central strategic aim of the acquisition as expanding “customer access” to the Navy, US Special Operations Command, and other allied partners. Company statements explicitly linked the transaction to broader market reach for maritime autonomy capabilities.
AEVEX described the move as strengthening its presence in the unmanned surface and undersea vessel space; BlackSea’s leadership said joining AEVEX would accelerate delivery by providing “scale, manufacturing depth, and autonomy ecosystem” to build on systems BlackSea has already deployed.
How the Navy’s Unmanned Surface Vessel Squadron 3, US Special Operations Command, and allied partners are positioned
- Unmanned Surface Vessel Squadron 3: The squadron already operates the GARC in Navy experimentation out of Naval Base Coronado. The acquisition pairs that in-field platform with AEVEX’s autonomous portfolio, creating a single corporate supplier for vessels such as GARC and AEVEX’s Mako.
- US Special Operations Command: The companies said the deal is meant to expand customer access to US Special Operations Command, signaling that SOCOM is an explicit market target for combined maritime autonomy capabilities.
- Allied partners: The announcement specifically named “other allied partners” as intended beneficiaries of expanded access, positioning the combined firm to offer integrated air, surface, and undersea autonomous systems to international customers.
AEVEX’s executive chairman cast the acquisition as both strategic capability buildup and cultural fit, while BlackSea’s CEO framed the move as the logical scale-up for a company that has “spent years building and deploying autonomous maritime systems in real‑world environments, from hybrid fleet operations to contested logistics.” As the transaction moves toward a September close, the structure—$250 million cash, roughly $350 million in stock, and up to $50 million in earnouts—leaves a clear financial and operational pathway for integrating BlackSea’s GARC work into AEVEX’s autonomy ecosystem.
